Advancements in computer and networking technologies have enabled persons to conduct commercial and financial transactions “on-line” via computer-based applications. This has given rise to a new era of electronic commerce (often referred to as e-commerce.) A number of well-known retailers have expanded their presence and reach by operating websites that facilitate e-commerce. In addition, many new retailers, which operate exclusively online, have come into existence. The business models utilized by enterprises operating online are almost as varied as the products and services offered. For instance, some products and services are offered at fixed prices, while others are offered via various auction methods, and still others are offered via a system of classified ad listings. Some enterprises specialize in the selling of a specific type of product (e.g., books) or a specific service (e.g., tax preparation), while others provide a myriad of categories of items and services from which to choose. Some enterprises serve only as an intermediary, providing a marketplace to connect sellers and buyers, while others sell directly to consumers.
Despite the many technical advances that have improved the state of e-commerce, a great number of technical challenges and problems remain. One such problem involves determining how to best present products and services (e.g., items) that are being offered for sale, so as to maximize the likelihood that a transaction (e.g., the sale of a product or service) will occur. For instance, when a potential buyer performs a search for a product or service, it may often be the case that the number of item listings that satisfy the potential buyer's query far exceeds the number of item listings that can practically be presented on a search results page. Furthermore, it is well established that the presentation of an item listing in a search results page—for example, the order or placement of the item listing in a list of listings, the font, font size, or color of the listing, and so on—can affect whether potential buyers select the listing, and ultimately purchase the listed product or service.
In order to maximize the number of transactions that are concluded, application developers make significant efforts to determine the characteristics (or attributes) of item listings that are the best indicators of the likelihood that an item listing will result in the conclusion of a transaction. Item listings with the desired item characteristics are then presented in the most prominent positions of the search results page (or pages) to maximize the likelihood that those item listings will be selected, and ultimately a transaction will be concluded. Accordingly, search engines used in conjunction with e-commerce applications may use some sort of parametric scoring function to assign a score to each item listing that satisfies a particular query. For example, the desired item characteristics are formulated as parameters in the scoring function such that, those item listings having the most desirable item characteristics will be assigned the highest score based on the scoring function, and therefore will be presented most prominently in the search results page or pages.